God - Our Ultimate Father

Dear Friends,

God - Our Ultimate Father

This coming Sunday, Father's Day, can be a difficult day for many people, for a variety of reasons. Some may have never known their father, others may not have had a good father, for others their father may no longer be with them. Perhaps you are one of those who finds the day hard. 

Today, I want to focus on God, our ultimate Father. No matter what our experience has been concerning our own father, God is available to each one of us as a good and loving father. His desire is for each of us to know what it truly means to be his child and to know him as Father.

We all have some idea of what a good father looks like. The good news is that God exceeds and goes beyond that picture we have. He is the only truly good, loving and perfect Father.

Psalm 103 gives a lovely description of God as our ultimate Father.

1 Let all that I am praise the Lord;
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
2 Let all that I am praise the Lord;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
3 He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
4 He redeems me from death
and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
5 He fills my life with good things.
My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

6 The Lord gives righteousness
and justice to all who are treated unfairly.

7 He revealed his character to Moses
and his deeds to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
14 For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
15 Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
16 The wind blows, and we are gone—
as though we had never been here.
17 But the love of the Lord remains forever
with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children
18 of those who are faithful to his covenant,
of those who obey his commandments!

19 The Lord has made the heavens his throne;
from there he rules over everything.

20 Praise the Lord, you angels,
you mighty ones who carry out his plans,
listening for each of his commands.
21 Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels
who serve him and do his will!
22 Praise the Lord, everything he has created,
everything in all his kingdom.

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

What are some of the things we learn about God as our Father in this psalm?

1. God our Father loves to give us gifts.

Just like a loving father loves to give good things to his children, God loves to bless us with many gifts and everything he gives us is good. He knows just what we need and when to give it to us. He gives, not because we have earned it or deserved it but purely because he loves us and loves to give to us.

2. God our Father is unfailingly loving.

Perhaps your father was a strict disciplinarian, you felt you could never live up to his expectations or he never recognised that you tried your best. God is not like that. He is never harsh with us. He never reminds us of our mistakes and failings, he doesn't treat us unfairly. He always believes in us, his anger does not burn against us. Instead, he always shows us compassion and mercy. He encourages us to keep trying. He is patient with us. He knows our weaknesses and supports us, helping us to overcome. In this psalm, we are told three times about God's love for us. We are told God's love is unfailing and is forever. We know that nothing in this world lasts forever. But God, who is over and above everything in this world, who created everything has a love for you and me which endures forever, not just whilst we are on this earth, but on into eternity.

The Hebrew word for 'tender' (in verse 13) can be translated as 'womb'. The idea being that our Father has a mother's nurturing love for his children. For me, this image is such a beautiful one. Will you allow God to nurture you? To carry you and care for you? Perhaps you need to spend a few moments meditating on just this verse and its meaning for you.

3. God our Father knows us inside out.

As a child, no one knew me better than my parents did. They understood who I was. I could talk to them about my feelings and whatever I was going through and I knew they would listen. They knew my nature, my personality, my interests, my gifts etc.

In verse 14 we read 'For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.' Another translation words it: 'For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.' (NKJV)

I read in the Passion Translation that 'frame' also means 'to be in distress' or 'frustrated'. This means God knows all about whatever is causing us to feel distressed. He knows our frustrations. He cares about these things, whether they are big or small. He is with us in them. For me, this brings me such encouragement and comfort. Our Father doesn't dismiss what we are facing and he doesn't dismiss our feelings. Rather, he recognises them and shows us his concern and compassion and is available to us.

4. God our Father forgives all our sins.

Have you experienced the truth of that for yourself? God doesn't just forgive some of my sins, he forgives all of them. He never gets to the point where I have reached beyond his forgiveness. How freeing to live knowing we are totally forgiven and no longer under any condemnation. God never brings up our past sins, he removes them from us completely. 

These are just some of the things which stood out to me as I spent time in this psalm meditating on God as my Father.

To Think About:
Spend some time reading and meditating on this psalm. Ask God to reveal to you more about his role as the Ultimate Father in your life. Receive his gifts, his love, his knowledge of you and his forgiveness which he longs to pour into your life.

As you read today's devotional which part in particular really spoke to you? What do you believe God is wanting you to know?

Vicki

If you enjoyed reading this devotional blog, then you may like to know that I have two devotional books both of which are available to buy from Amazon. (The content of these books is material adapted from past blog posts.)

Both my devotional books are available to buy through Amazon. "Dear Friend...52 Weeks to Encourage, Challenge and Inspire" If you would like to know more or would like to buy a copy then please click here

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